Banbury Constituency Labour Party

Our Councillors

Our two Oxfordshire County Councillors are:

Banbury Ruscote – Mark Cherry
Mark has lived in Banbury all his life. He went to school here, and he knows the town and its needs very well. He is a building worker by trade, and he has always enjoyed helping people. He likes to keep fit, and he supports Liverpool Football Club.

Contact details: see below

Banbury Grimsbury and Castle – Hannah Banfield

Contact details: see below

Cherwell District Councillors

There are currently 9 Labour Party Councillors on Cherwell District Council:

Andrew Beere

Banbury Grimsbury & Hightown

Councillor Andrew Beere was re-elected to Cherwell DC in May 2015, representing the Banbury Grimsbury and Castle Ward. He was elected to Banbury Town Council in May 2012. He has been a lifelong Labour Party and Co-operative Party member, as well as being a member of GMB and RMT unions. Born and educated in Banbury, Andy works in Public Transport and is the author of “I’m Going Down to Vote” – a history of Labour in North Oxfordshire from 1945 to 1997.

Tel: 01295 255996

Mark Cherry

Banbury Ruscote

Re-elected in May 2015, Mark has lived in Banbury all his life. He went to school here, and he knows the town and its needs very well. He is a building worker by trade, and he has always enjoyed helping people. He likes to keep fit, and he supports Liverpool Football Club. In May 2013 Mark was elected in Banbury Calthorpe as a County Councillor, and in a by-election in September 2013 elected as District and Town Councillor for Banbury Ruscote.

Surinder Dhesi

Banbury Cross & Neithrop

Surinder Dhesi is former Mayor of Banbury. She was elected to Cherwell DC in May 2012 representing the Banbury Neithrop Ward and was also elected to Banbury Town Council. She is a keen campaigner who has been involved in keeping access to local health services at the Horton Hospital. She was involved in the successful campaign against a telephone mast being built on Ruscote Avenue and parked cars being sold off grass verges. Access to services for the elderly are very important to Surinder because she believes everyone deserves to live with dignity. She is married with two sons.

Barry Richards

Banbury Ruscote

Barry chose to move to Banbury on his retirement from engineering, having work and family links here. He has been an active member of Unite the Union and of the Labour Party since 1968 and is also a member of the Co-operative Party. Outside politics, he is a Trustee of his ex-employer’s pension scheme.

He was elected in 2014 to represent Ruscote on both Cherwell District and Banbury Town Councils. Married with two now grown up children and a lively granddaughter, in his spare time he enjoys golf, real ale and hobby engineering

Sean Woodcock

Banbury Ruscote

Sean was born in Banbury and has lived here nearly all his life. His father runs a small business and his mother works in social care. After graduating with a BA in History from Reading, Sean gained an MA at Birmingham University where he became increasingly active in politics.

Sean has worked in social housing and community investment for more than 5 years.

He was first elected to Cherwell District and Banbury Town councils in May 2012 and became Leader of the Labour group on the District Council in February 2013. He became the youngest Mayor of Banbury on record in 2014.

He was Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Banbury in the General Election 2015 and increased Labour’s vote by 2.1%. He stood again for the seat in the snap General Election of 2017 when the Labour vote increased by 12.8%

In May 2016 he was re-elected to the town and district councils and as Leader of the Labour group on Cherwell District Council.

Sean is well known and respected for his work representing local people as a councillor. He has vigorously opposed imposition of the bedroom tax and has stood against children’s centre closures. He has condemned Cherwell’s failures in planning which have allowed a free-for-all by developers.

Sean is proud of the achievements of the 1997-2010 Labour government, which he sees this Tory government trying to eradicate.

Sean is a member of Unison and the Co-operative Party. He is also a governor of a local school.

Sean loves history and in his spare time makes use of his membership of both The National Trust and English Heritage to visit historic sites and landmarks. Sean also enjoys sport particularly rugby and football; and he is an avid Liverpool fan since childhood. He competed in Strictly Come Dancing in Banbury in 2013 and likes to raise money for charity by doing fun-runs. A budding writer, Sean had a short play performed at the 2006 Edinburgh Comedy Festival.”
Email – sean.woodcock.labour@gmail.com

Perran Moon

Hannah Banfield

Shaida Hussain

Banbury Grimsbury & Hightown

Shaida was born and bred in Banbury. She went to local schools and has lived in Grimsbury all her life. She was elected on the town council in 2012, and thoroughly enjoys representing her ward. She looks forward to working hard on Cherwell District Council to improve Grimsbury for all residents.

Cassi Perry

Banbury Cross and Neithrop

Cassi lives on a narrowboat on the Banbury canal with her little Westie dog, and is involved in numerous conservation and heritage protection campaigns. An ex-Army Nurse, she now works in Mental Health in several of our town GP Surgeries. Her main concerns are providing affordable housing and protecting our health and social care provision.